|
|
|
New: Innovative new neighborhood grocery store
will open at Gateway next summer, December 9, 2005
Update from Campus Partners:
Prepared for residents the University Area Commission
December 16, 2005
Contents:
|
·
Code enforcement
task force and refuse committee hold joint meeting |
|
|
Safety committee meets The University
Area Safety Committee held its regular monthly meeting on Nov. 9 and heard a
report on the public safety efforts involving much of the project-based,
Section 8 housing in
Police reported that a man and a woman had been arrested for
pick-pocketing in the area on football Saturdays. Their photograph was taken while using
a stolen credit card. The photo
was circulated among police officers who spotted the pair.
Other public safety initiatives in the University District: -- Columbus Division of Fire staff members are
going door-to-door to see if residents want a fire safety inspection
conducted. University staff
members also are making fire safety presentations, particularly to
fraternities. -- Commander Kim Jacobs said the police have
suspects in recent robberies along the High Street corridor. -- Columbus Police and the Community Crime Patrol
will conduct special patrols in the University District to prevent burglaries
and related crimes during December.
Information was distributed to students about taking precautions to
prevent burglary while they are gone for winter break. -- Andy Baumann said residents may call the
city’s Code Enforcement office at 645-8139 for a free carbon monoxide
check of their homes.
The committee members decided not to meet in December. The next regular meeting will be
Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 3:30 p.m. in Code enforcement task force and refuse committee hold joint meeting The
University District Code Enforcement Task Force and the Campus Partners
Public Service Committee on refuse collection and recycling met jointly on
Nov. 9. City staff reported that
the annual special collection of bulk refuse in the University District in
late August and early September removed 1,684.75 tons of bulk refuse. This was accomplished with 287 city
employees working 1,989.2 hours using 215 pieces of equipment. Campus Partners has distributed
letters of thanks to city officials. In
other business, the two groups formed a subcommittee to consider strategies
to combat litter in the University District. This litter subcommittee held its
initial meeting on Dec. 13. The
meeting was open to anyone interested in litter control. The full Code Enforcement Task Force
will not meet in December. The
next meeting of the task force will be Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 2 p.m. in the Litter Subcommittee investigates litter problem
Catherine Girves of the University Area Enrichment Association and
Steve Sterrett of Campus Partners chaired the first meeting Dec. 13 of the
Litter Subcommittee of the University District Code Enforcement Task
Force. The discussion during the
meeting generated new ideas and gave initial direction to the
subcommittee’s work on this perennial problem. Ms. Girves summarized a report issued
last January, New Jersey Litter Survey: 2004, prepared by consultants for the
New Jersey Clean Communities Council. Among the report’s findings are: -- “Litter is frequently defined as
‘solid waste in the wrong place.’ … A more inclusive
definition of waste is ‘man-made or man-transported products or
materials in the wrong place.’” -- The survey also makes a distinction between
“persons deliberately littering these products” and
“accidental litter which stems from open-bed vehicles, trashcan spills
and human carelessness.” -- 75 percent of the persons deliberately
littering along urban streets are six to 24 years of age and are
predominantly male. -- Paid advertising programs targeting the age
group primarily responsible for causing litter are more cost effective than
paid litter pick-up rograms and Adopt-a-Highway and state-run comprehensive
litter control programs.
Mike Pickard of Keep Columbus Beautiful and the Columbus Refuse
Collection Division reported that the types of litter found in the University
District are consistent with what is found across the city. He said the amount of litter in the University
District is consistent with the amount found in other -- Mr. Pickard suggested one solution is more
effective litter law enforcement. -- Rick Tammer of Code Enforcement said code
officers must cite property owners for litter, rather than the
residents. Enforcement might be
more effective if code officers could write tickets for littering. -- Heather Robinson of the Franklin County
Prosecutor’s Office said that illegal dumping may be a major problem in
the University District. Such
dumping is, in fact, considered littering under the law. -- Ed Stollard of Code Enforcement said that
companies and individuals doing housing rehab and home repairs in the
University District sometimes fail to properly dispose of the waste. Refuse containers are filled with rehab
debris, then regular garbage overflows and creates more litter. -- Ms. Girves said that citizens often are
confused about the proper disposal of refuse. Clear rules should be given to
residents, property managers and rehab companies, followed up by enforcement.
The discussion highlighted litter as a problem beyond red plastic cups
in a yard after a party. Illegal
dumping and overflowing dumpsters could be bigger contributors to the litter
problem than previously thought. Subcommittee
members decided to consider a litter survey of the University District to
better understand the nature and the extent of the problem. The subcommittee could then focus
limited resources on aspects of the problem which could be dealt with most
effectively.
Mr. Pickard agreed to help the subcommittee put together a litter
study or litter survey. This will
be the principal topic at the next meeting of the subcommittee on Tuesday,
Jan. 10, at 1 p.m. in room 100 of the |
|
Home
| News | History &
Organization | Committees | Contact
Campus Partners for
Community Urban Redevelopment, Inc.
1824 N. High
St., Columbus, OH 43201
(614) 294-7300; fax (614) 294-7333